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Daimler-backed Greenlane plans to open its first electric charging station next year and is trying to transform long-haul commercial trucks, CEO Patrick Macdonald-King said.
The project aims to create a national hydrogen charging and fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, where service locations could be spaced roughly every 100 miles, he told Trucking Dive in an interview Monday.
“We’re trying to make distance driving more realistic and a reality,” he said of electric vehicles.
Greenlane will build public charging stations along key corridors, establishing its first location in Southern California, the company previously noted. The joint venture targets that region along with the Texas Triangle, the region that includes Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. And Greenlane aims to eventually expand into the northeastern US
The first sites are scheduled to be online in the fall of 2024, Macdonald-King said, adding that the venture has secured several sites. Information on charging and refueling prices at the stations was not publicly available.
Daimler Truck North America launched the 2022 venture with partners NextEra Energy Resources and a BlackRock renewable energy fund as the companies seek to meet environmental, social and government goals and fleets begin to meet new standards in California and the rest of the US
The trio is sharing the cost of the venture, which is currently reported at more than $650 million.
To help with lane prioritization and rapid deployment, Greenlane is in partnership with Uber Freight over truck data.
“Uber Freight’s massive network data will augment Greenlane’s own data analysis to identify corridors that are prime candidates for early HD BEV deployment, charging infrastructure needs and the addressability of shipping lanes for electrification,” the partnership said earlier this month.
Macdonald said the new partnership will simplify shippers’ transition to electric power. Uber Freight also sees the potential for additional synergies, said Olivia Hu, the tech company’s head of autonomous trucking.
“Today, these stand-alone hubs are owned and operated by the developer of the AV technology,” he said. “But tomorrow that could look very different,” noting that these could be combined with truck stops of the future, such as Greenlane, or entirely new players.